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VCU receives approval to purchase Altria Richmond research facility
Virginia Commonwealth University received state approval this week to buy Altria Group’s 450,000-square-foot research building in downtown Richmond. The Altria Center for Research and Technology, which opened in 2007, sits on more than four acres at 600 E. Leigh St. and is assessed for $275 million. Discussions between officials with VCU and Henrico County-based Fortune […]
Spanberger leads Earle-Sears in early state polling
It’s still early days, but in Virginia’s 2025 gubernatorial race, Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger leads Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in a pair of new statewide polls. In the Virginia Commonwealth University Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs poll released Friday, former U.S. Rep. Spanberger has the support of 44% of people polled, and […]
Dominion Energy COO Diane Leopold to retire after nearly three decades
Dominion Energy Chief Operating Officer Diane Leopold plans to retire from the Fortune 500 utility this summer after working for nearly four decades in the industry. Leopold, who will remain as COO and executive vice president until she steps down on June 1, 2025, oversees major construction projects such as Dominion’s $9.8 billion Coastal Virginia […]
Engineering without boundaries
The surging demand for energy. The country’s aging, overwhelmed electrical grid. Threats of cyberattacks. The explosion of interest in — and confusion about — artificial intelligence. These real-life problems don’t know boundaries. Neither should the search for solutions, says Azim Eskandarian, dean of Virginia Commonwealth University‘s College of Engineering. Cross-disciplin[...]
VCU eyes purchasing Altria’s Richmond research facility
Officials with Virginia Commonwealth University are discussing with the Altria Group the possibility of buying its 450,000-square-foot research building in downtown Richmond, the two parties acknowledged separately this week. The Altria Center for Research and Technology, which opened in 2007, sits on more than four acres at 600 E. Leigh St. and is assessed for […]
Va. universities take ‘heavy hand’ with protest policies, advocate says
RICHMOND, Va. — Students, lawmakers and free-speech activists question if updated university policies that regulate student demonstrations violate First Amendment rights. After campus protests that led to some clashes with police, institutions such as Virginia Commonwealth University, James Madison University, University of Virginia and Virginia Tech adopted similar policies. The new rules b[...]
VCU names new dean of health professions college
Virginia Commonwealth University‘s College of Health Professions will have a new dean effective Aug. 15, the university announced Wednesday. Amy R. Darragh comes from Ohio State University, where she is director and vice dean of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Services. Darragh succeeds interim dean Paula Song, the college’s Richard M. Bracken Chair and […]
JLARC calls for governing changes at VCU Health
After a failed development deal and a nearly $80 million payout, VCU Health needs to change the way it is governed, the Virginia General Assembly‘s investigative body declared Wednesday. Virginia Commonwealth University‘s president has too much room to influence the health system’s operations, the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission (JLARC) found. State lawmakers dire[...]
Building support
Gov. Glenn Youngkin made headlines last December when he announced a $90 million-plus pitch to launch “Virginia’s Research Triangle.” Initially envisioned as a cooperative initiative among Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia, the triangle was expanded into more of a rhombus following the addition of Old Dominion University to the research [&hell[...]
VCU launches pharmaceutical sciences undergrad degree
Graduate school isn’t a prerequisite for a career in the pharmaceutical industry. Virginia Commonwealth University‘s new Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences (BSPS) degree will prepare students to step into pharma jobs like quality assurance technicians, research technologists and laboratory technicians, according to Kelechi “K.C.” Ogbonna, dean of VCU‘s S[...]
VCU revives Atlanta’s Creative Circus ad school
Editor’s note: The print version of this story in the May 2024 issue of Virginia Business incorrectly reported the amount of Virginia Commonwealth University‘s purchase of the Creative Circus. VCU acquired Creative Circus’ branding and intellectual assets from Texas-based Ancora Education for $75,000. The potential bottom line wasn’t the sole motivator behind Virginia Commo[...]
3 Va. universities make top 100 in national R&D rankings
The University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and Virginia Commonwealth University landed in the top 100 in the National Science Foundation’s fiscal 2022 rankings by expenditures on research and development. NSF determines the rankings with data from its annual Higher Education Research and Development Survey, which surveys U.S. colleges and universities that expended at least $150,000 […[...]
